By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — As spring gives way to summer, more and more people will be heading into ballparks all over the country to watch their little ones play softball and baseball.
But what about family members and friends that can’t make the games in-person?
Well, look no further than Ruston — in a first for the state of Louisiana, remote fans and relatives will be able to tune into games at the Ruston Parks and Recreation Sports Complex, thanks to the newly installed camera-system that will work with the GameChanger app.
It’s a process that Ruston Sports Complex and RPAR Director Matt Cotton has been looking into for quite some time.
”Through research, phone calls and talking to different camera companies — I think there were 10 companies total I spoke with,” Cotton said. “One of our local tournament hosts mentioned that GameChanger was starting to venture into streaming. So we had a four-month dialogue and agreed on everything.”
Twelve of the 15 baseball and softball fields (all fields in B and C pods) at the Sports Complex have now been fixed with automated two automated cameras: one behind home plate and one in the outfield. And thanks to automated technology, the camera system is able to toggle to the right shot, depending on where the ball is in play on the field.
The cost of the GameChanger system was paid in large part by the Ruston Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
”Our complex was already considered one of the best in the state, but this will really set our complex apart,” Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said. “Matt and his team have done a wonderful job getting this service — we’re very excited that he took the initiative to get it. And we appreciate the CVB helping us with the purchase.”
Cotton sees the addition to the ballparks as another means for getting more tournaments to the Sports Complex, which in turn means more money coming into the area, while also serving the leagues in Lincoln Parish — both Ruston Youth Baseball and Ruston Girls Softball Association will have access, as well.
”We’ve already had multiple organizations reach out to us that haven’t had any tournaments in Ruston before,” Cotton said. “They’ve reached out to get dates simply because of this, because it adds to our already top of the line facility.”
GameChanger’s streaming service can be accessed for free by family members and players on a team hosted on the app. Premium subscribers can also get access to the service for a small monthly fee.
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